Trying Harder
by nadeshikofan
Summary: Spin-off of "The Little Fox" fanfic [this occurs half a year into The Little Fox's timeline] Akane's one of the people searching for clues on capturing Little Fox and happens to save Tsugumi when she was attacked. Tsugumi is an unfortunate victim of those who encountered Little Fox or her secret supporters. The problem? Memory Alteration. AkaGumi; SoMa; OxKim; HarJac; No CanonxOCs
1. Trusting Monsters

A Spin-off Fanfic of The Little Fox~ x3

Why? Because I want to write a tidbit of Akane x Tsugumi [ahahaha where's the love for this pairing? I only see 4 fanfics and this one tries to portray them in character so there's not 100% Akane x Tsugumi]

Warnings:  
• This fanfic has mentions of murder and death [OCs will die so no worries to the Canon Characters]  
• Might be spoilers to my readers of The Little Fox since this occurs roughly half a year into it's plotline.  
• Gore is not explicit [Because I get queasy…]  
• No Canon x OC pairings or one-sided of those this time [I detest those most times since they seem unreasonable and pointless if they go on for too long]  
• OCs [at most, 6 OCs? But they won't be mentioned often]  
• Soul x Maka; Oxford x Kim; Harver x Jacqueline; OC x OC; and of course, Akane x Tsugumi  
• Potential OOC-ness [I don't know if I'm portraying the characters accurately…]  
• I don't own anything but the plot and OCs. We all know that the Soul Eater and Soul Eater Not! characters belong **Ookubo Atsushi**

* * *

**Trusting Monsters - Prologue**

* * *

_"Do I… know you…?"_

_"…due be careful when standing in the fog, Tsugumi Harudori…  
The fog only obscures things from a distance… but when in the fog, you never will know when a monster truly appears…"_

_"A monster…?"_

_"…calm yourself… the only true monsters of this world are humans…"_

_"Wh- humans…?"_

_"…humans are both loved and feared… they can manipulate… lie… and kill…_  
_**Tell me, can you really trust them?"**  
_

_"Not all of them are that bad, if you trust them, then they'll learn to trust you too!"  
_

_"Hmm, and that itself, is a proof of my beliefs…"_

* * *

I instantly opened my eyes only to find myself in the nurse's office.

I blinked, "…?"

I turned my attention to the window, the sun was setting but I how long have I been sleeping? And why was I here? I only remember…

"Do you remember what happened?" he asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"A-ah, Akane-kun…?" I stuttered, confused.

"Do you remember what happened, Harudori?" he asked again.

"Err… a little bit…" I murmured, shaking my head a bit to clear up the thought that he was staring. "A-all I remember was that Meme-chan and Anya-chan went to go shopping, so I was just walking around for a bit… th-then I saw Akane-kun with Clay-san at the arcade, and then I suddenly passed out… I remember feeling pale, I guess I didn't eat much today…" I scratched the back of my head, feeling embarrassed.

There was a moment of silence. He seemed to be deep in thought that I started to wonder if I said anything wrong…

"Is that all you remember?" he asked after a couple of moments full of silence.

"…well, nothing else, why…?" I asked with uncertainty.

"…it's nothing… I'm relieved that you feel better," he smiled politely.

"Ah… th-thanks for w-worrying…" I murmured, feeling warm. 'I hope I'm not blushing…'

"Your meisters are on the way here, I thought it'd be best to inform them that you fainted," he informed.

"Ah… thanks," I nodded, looking down at the white sheets. Blinking, I realized that my side was bleeding, the stinging cut felt stronger. I winced at the now throbbing pain in my head. And why on earth did I feel as if someone grabbed my right wrist…?

"What's wrong?" Akane asked, sounding alert.

"…was I ever hit when I passed out…?" I asked curiously.

He shook his head again. "I'm fairly certain I'd notice if I bumped into anything while carrying you."

'Wait… he carried me?' I felt my face heat up at the mention of him carrying me. I shook my head, trying to focus back on the thought regarding my injuries. "…well, I did faint, so I probably feel a bit of pain because I scraped a knee or something-"

The door opened, interrupting what I was saying. I looked up, seeing that it was Meme and Anya.

"Are you okay?" Anya asked as Meme hugged me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I smiled. "Sorry for worrying you two, I guess I was hungry and I didn't notice… I'll have to be more careful with my health," I then thought, 'I say that with a smile, but I _know_ I wouldn't faint so easily… would I…?'

"I'll be taking my leave now," Akane smiled. "I hope you feel better."

"A-ah, yes, thank you for c-carrying me here…" I gulped, my face feeling warmer by the second. 'Oh no… was I heavy…?'

"It wasn't a problem, you were pretty light," he chuckled lightheartedly, then left.

"I'm glad you're okay…" Meme smiled, rubbing her cheek against mine.

"Well, it's a good thing you feel much better, Tsugumi-san," Anya said, then frowned. "Although you should eat more healthy in order to prevent more fainting randomly. I don't understand how you could so easily faint… if you had a weak constitution then that's one matter, but hunger?" she trailed off in her rant, then just let out a frustrated sigh. "You worried us… just be more careful."

I looked down at my hands, 'If I told them my doubts, they'd probably get even more worried…'

"Now that Tsugumi-chan's better, let's go home," Meme smiled reassuringly.

"…alright…" I smiled.

* * *

_I ran, because that was all I could do. **Run**. Run to avoid getting caught. Someone spoke and I __remained paralyzed so suddenly. The scene that occurred only minutes ago still fresh in my mind. Etching closer and closer to me. Growing more vivid by the second that I could recall everything, the stench of iron and the sight. The sight scarred me the most, almost to the point where I wanted to go ahead and vomit without facing public humiliation. So grotesque, I'm surprised that she kept the woman alive._

_That woman who I thought was dead. Still alive. In so much pain._

_Shaking violently, I took a step or two backwards due to this fear. __I was afraid. Deathly afraid. I didn't want to be in the same position._

_"Are you okay?" the girl who appeared to be at the age of ten asked me politely._

_I pulled away, until she grabbed my right hand. Her cold pale fingers wrapped around my wrist almost lifelessly._

_"Is something the matter?" she asked, tilting her head upwards, her thick, black-netted veil hiding her eyes. I don't know why, but when I stared through that veil, I swore I could see a monster…_

_"Stay away…" I whispered, shaking with fear, my legs felt as they were glued._

_"…perhaps… you saw…? Hmm~? Maybe… I should kill you…?" she whispered, her kind expression immediately changing into a twisted smile._

_"Eek!" I squeaked when she tried to stab me. The scent of lavender grew stronger for some odd reason._

_"I can't kill you yet…" she murmured with a pout. "Oh well… that doesn't mean that I can't play with you… right…?" she giggled. "Just… like… **her**…"_

_My body grew numb as I saw the child-like figure jump away, only for Akane to appear with Clay. Everything flashed by in mere seconds before the two arrived. I felt as though the burning pain in my side about to consume me as a whole. My head beginning to ache for no apparent reason, as if I hated the scent of lavender which was ridiculous for the fact that I love lavenders._

_Black spots filling my vision… my mind in a swirl… my head hurts. I don't know what's happening. Why does my body ache and where's the actual pain…?_

**[Tell me, Tsugumi Harudori, can you really trust them?]**

* * *

To Be Continued…

* * *

A/N

Ta-dah! Finished with the prologue of the spin-off.

Marie and Stein [like in The Little Fox] won't appear because of the timeline [before Stein became a teacher; Sid died; Marie and other Death Scythes came to DWMA].

Maka's currently 14 or 15 [I imagine her being 12 when she started out and 13-14 when she first met Tsugumi, 15 when the Spartoi was formed, and lastly, 16 when the gang was on the moon battling Asura].

And lastly, hurry for memory alterations. Because only the readers know what happens and the characters don't! /kicked

Another thing, the disclaimers are only here in the Prologue. Warnings too. Unless there's a slight need to add a warning in the next chapter or so then it'll be above the "[Title] - [Chapter #]"


	2. Trust Me

Ahahaha I found out Tsugumi's older than Maka so I feel kinda stupid- /kicked

And gosh, I probably stink at portraying shy girls like Tsugumi ha ha…

I'm also going to **_try_ **for 5,000 words per chapter if I can, so please try to bear with me…

Also, if you have any questions, I will answer them, however, if they are spoiler-worthy questions, I will answer vaguely unless you want spoilers.

* * *

Trying Harder

Trust Me - Part 1

* * *

_Her eerily familiar smile remained; still, lifeless, dangerous… hiding underneath the shadows and always watching like a deadly crow… and it was all that was there that seemed to be the least important yet most effective in this moment… although dying was the least of her worries despite how much she wants to live._

_Akane groaned in pain, harsh gasps for air was heard, indicating that he was very much alive, as well as being on the brink of death like the other meisters who were partially conscious but mainly injured. What concerned the girl was that his hand was clutching his **bleeding** shoulder while Clay was probably around somewhere among the bodies of the DWMA students who passed out, or rather, were effectively knocked out. Namely the weapons… thus leaving most meisters, well, weaponless and in danger. Only few meisters were still conscious, others were barely awake…_

_Oddly enough, the weapons had a few minor injuries while the meisters were injured to the point of having a near-death experience… of course, the sadistic criminal at the scene doesn't kill. She has inflicted—at most—a near-death experience._

_"Tsugumi-!" the voice of that odd blonde fortune-teller she met days ago had shouted. "Get away from her, Mad Hatter-!" a knife was thrown at her, accurately pinning her arm to the wall, blood began to flow down her arm as the blonde flinched from the sudden harsh pain._

_"**I'm** the Cheshire Cat," the petite girl snarled, angered by the supposedly outrageous thought. "Get your facts straight, DWMA!" she hissed. "**I'm** the Cheshire Cat! I'm **not** the Mad Hatter!" she turned back to face the Japanese girl. "Now that we've got that out of the way… bye-bye, Tsugumi… Ha~ru~do~ri~" the sickeningly familiar voice giggled as her hand was raised, fingers turning into sharp blades._

_"NO!" the blonde fortune-teller shrieked, running towards the wide-eyed girl. The fortune-teller tried to intervene, but she couldn't. She was too late._

_The child-like figure of the culprit had already stabbed the girl's side. The culprit's lips moved near her ear, and as if in a whisper, the culprit's lips moved, open, closed, open, closed, and repeat. Tsugumi couldn't comprehend what happened or what was being said, yet she managed to hear the bits of the killer's whispered confession…_

_"…~t wa~n't… fa~lt… si~~at~on… an~~n~… bla~~e… ~t w~~ Mad Hatter's f~~~t… Hatter ~a~s you're horrible… ~~~ t~a~ I'~ ev~l… b~t… I'm… e~~l… s~e's e~~t~~na~ly ~ m~~~t~~… tr~st~d…"_

_The girl gasped, whimpering in pain she cried, "Why would you do this…?" The culprit ignored the girl's cries and simply continued._

**If _you_ assumed I was "evil" without giving me a chance…**

* * *

The girl screamed in pain, eyes instantly opened wide but immediately, she winced at the sudden bright lights. After a moment of adjusting, she found herself feeling a sense of déjà vu. The memory of waking up in the infirmary days ago was finally remembered when she glanced up, noticing that she was looking at both of her meisters and two first friends at Shibusen. Well, unless you included Maka, but it was more of a sense of admiration towards her senior.

"Are you alright?" Anya asked frantically as Meme stared at her with worry.

Anya's been asking that a lot lately, she seems to be uneasy after Tsugumi had fainted. Adding onto the dreams the weapon has been receiving every night… the weird dreams have occurred at least once or twice, or were a continuation of the previous or perhaps random tidbits of dreams. It's been confusing Tsugumi too much between mere dreams or perhaps memories, and that fortune-teller, Kana, hasn't been at the dorms for a while due to a mission.

Was this also connected to what the fortune, Kana, had told her? Something about a terrible calamity… but it feels like it was a separate thing. Or was it because that weird dark blonde fortune-teller that acted so familiar with her, the one she met days ago, had warned her about foggy days as if she knew what would happen?

If it were the case, would it be fine to ask the dark blonde if she could tell her what might happen to her? But the blonde fortune-teller might've known what would happen, right? If so, then why didn't the blonde woman tell her what'd happen?

No, it wasn't a good thing to assume that of a stranger, Tsugumi had thought.

"Just a bad dream," Tsugumi sighed. "I'll probably go look for that fortune-teller, maybe she might know what's happening. Maybe because she told me, well, to be careful in a fog… and I fainted in a fog… I think I should ask her if there's anything she should warn me about…"

"I suppose that would be a good idea," Anya nodded.

* * *

The blonde supposes that she did deserve what she had done. She assumed that telling them the truth would seem like a harmless warning. She told no lies, nor does she wish to tell such bittersweet illusions, she would much less even _consider_ giving a simple warning.

But she had. She did. She told a _harmful_ warning, a warning that likely altered the future of which she had _foreseen_ in past predictions!

How could she have said such horrid things?

There had been a plan. If she were to intervene… how many more people would grow involved…? Telling a simple truth had turned into a half-assed warning and _she_ was the one who told such a thing when she herself _swore_ she wouldn't interfere with fate.

She hated herself. More than you could possibly imagine.

Screw actual witches with their idiotic magic… destruction? Well screw it and send it to hell for all she cared! What good were witches if all they wish for is to destroy? Surely they had something better to do then ruin lives or something horrid! What's so productive about destruction if there's no creation?

She closed her eyes, thinking with dry amusement, '…but I'm more of a witch than anyone in this town… not even that no good Little Fox could beat me…' she held a piece of chocolate. "…bon appétit…" she murmured bitterly, plopping the sweet, delicious, mouthwatering treat into her mouth.

Did this mean that she was being punished for staying with _him_? Or was she being punished for attempting to gain a certain kind of power, one that was more than what mere weapons would have, something not as strong as a holy power… something powerful enough to grant her one wish… but she never believed in any god, really… until she met Lord Death, but that's another story.

"You seem angry today," a young girl with brown hair pointed out. "You're eating chocolate, but you're not happy…"

"It must be your imagination, Nancy," the blonde had chuckled dryly at the sharpness of the handicapped brunette. "I might just feel a bit lonely… Maka hasn't dropped by the cafe ever since she got that partner of hers… I miss her spunky attitude…" She paused for a moment, realizing that the brunette was alone today. "…you two are practically inseparable, so where's Shira…?" she reluctantly asked, but the brunette had yet to notice the reluctance.

A simple question, really. Yet when it's been said, harsh truth unveils in the fog and the loneliness that comes with it. The blonde knows that it was harsh of her to ask the young child. Rena scolded herself mentally when she saw a familiar emotion flash over the brunette's delicate features.

Loneliness and Fear… hesitation… confusion… but mainly fear of what might come to life…

"Big sister went off for a bit…" the young brunette trailed off. "…she didn't tell me where she would go…"

The fortune-teller felt guilty for asking, really she does… and obviously she should've noticed that on her own!

"Don't worry," Rena laughed lightly, messing the girl's hair a bit. "She's looking for Maka's mom after all… of course she won't know where she would be. It's rather spontaneous as to when and where she'll be traveling."

The blonde wasn't lying… but it wasn't necessarily the truth. The woman knew that her friend was traveling due to dangerous business all while searching for her aunt.

She felt useless. All she could do was watch Lord Death, and make sure he protected this town. All while she would personally protect Nancy and Maka… Shira's family… Spirit can protect himself perfectly fine.

"Alright… thanks…" Nancy smiled lightly. "…Rena… I'm going to go buy some white chocolates at the store around the corner…" Nancy said shyly, effectively changing the subject. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

"No, I don't need anything… actually… buy some bitter chocolate for me…" Rena simply responded, taking a sip of her tea as she heard Nancy's wheelchair squeak. She didn't need to see Nancy's confused look as the girl left.

She knows it all too well. The Rena everyone loves and hates, would love those sugary treats. She does, but she's not _that_ obsessed as she led people to believe.

Footsteps approached Rena moments later. "E-excuse me," the halberd weapon had smiled uneasily when she walked up to the fortune-teller.

"…Tsugumi Harudori, what brings you here?" Rena smiled, opening her pale ocean blue eyes. Oddly enough, her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"I want to hear advice… since you tried to help me but I thought it wasn't true…" Tsugumi fidgeted nervously. "Do you… remember? You warned me about the fog-" Tsugumi stopped, curiously staring at the blonde who raised a finger.

Rena placed her hands on her lap, "I merely speak the truth, and sadly I was compelled to tell you such a truth in hopes that you will be careful of foggy days, however, seeing that you did not follow those words, it was not intended to be a warning," the fortune-teller corrected. "I speak no lies, so I will only say this… if you were to hear more warnings from myself, all you will bring to yourself is nothing but pain, confusion… and misery… you will grow suspicious of those whom are innocent all around, and trust those you should, and those you shouldn't… you will be unable to think clearly, and due to such things, you will become a potential victim in the game of Alice in Wonderland. My words are not simply a warning, but they are a curse."

"…Alice in Wonderland…?" Tsugumi blinked, confused.

"Yes, Alice in Wonderland is much akin to Little Fox and her supposed… generals I believe is what many now call them," Rena chuckled. "Well, I don't blame you for not knowing the entire story… and I'd tell you, but I see no point in doing so. Hoshi and Sizemore are both taking on their mission along with Kim and Jacqueline, Black Star and Tsubaki, as well as Maka and Soul," Rena said with a thin smile.

"…you know M-Maka, Clay-san, and Akane-kun?!" Tsugumi's eyes widened at the mention of Maka and the others.

"I'm not close to Akane or Clay in particular. Well, they were… my friend's former colleagues, if you will," Rena merely smiled. "Maka and Soul, good children… especially Maka… Maka is my friend's cousin, she's a good child, and I've known her cousin before Maka was even born…"

Tsugumi seemed to have forgotten the entire purpose of why she approached the older woman, due to the fact that she seemed to be in a bit of a daze, thinking about her senpai. "Wahhh… M-Maka-senpai really is amazing!" she said with awe, eyes seeming to sparkle with amazement.

Rena blinked a few times before smiling, "…a fan of Maka's? It's rare to have people admire her…" she took a sip of her tea before continuing. "Most girls dislike her since her partner is… well… supposedly "popular". Please continue to support her as she works her way to her goal…"

"Why would anyone hate her? She's really nice and-!" Tsugumi paused in realization. "…Her goal?" Tsugumi blinked before she frowned slightly. "…am I really the right person to help…? I… I don't think I'm strong enough to help her-"

"…her goal is simple yet only slightly challenging," Rena said with amusement. "Are you honestly going to give up before hearing her challenge when even she has yet to realize what she truly aims for?" she shrugged. "Oh well… honestly I don't 100% understand Maka's goals, so I shouldn't tell you," she chuckled with amusement. "And I said to help _support_ her goals, not fight alongside her. Oh well, now listen closely, because I won't repeat myself."

"…eh…?" Tsugumi paused, letting her words process. "Didn't you say you weren't going to tell me?"

"I meant the warning you so dearly wished for," Rena said dryly, interrupting her thoughts. "…your warnings—watch your surroundings… and avoid any black cats…" Rena murmured. "…you know, don't you? Black cats are a sign of bad luck, it's a partial well-known sign of misfortune, but not everyone hears it straight away… anyways, her name is the "Cheshire Cat", I don't quite remember what she looks like though… but she's one of Little Fox's 'supposed'… generals."

Tsugumi froze, gulping, she found herself asking, "…is there… any chance… of her being a kid…?"

Rena raised an eyebrow, confused. "No, she's older than me, and so far she looks more human than kishins and witches, that's for sure, just a rather… creepy woman; I know that's certain… I managed to keep my memories intact after meeting her…"

"…what…?" now this was getting ridiculous. This woman could change the pace of their conversation and partially the subject with effortless ease… "Memories…?" Tsugumi questioned, following her pace despite all of her questions.

"A general of Little Fox… it's basically a group of people she trusts, word on the street is that they know what she looks like… anyways, if you fight against one of Little Fox's generals, they would normally kill you if you're not a DWMA student. Also, for DWMA students, the meisters usually remember the horrific parts of their fight while the weapons don't. Weapons get memory loss; meisters remember the battle but not who they fought," she explained. "I, as a weapon and meister, managed to trick them into thinking that I was a meister, so I didn't lose my memories but I did end up immensely injured. My fiancé on the other hand, lost some of his memories so he doesn't know that we fought against them."

"Meister and a weapon…?" Tsugumi questioned. "Wait… you have a fiancé…?"

"Yes I do, and a meister and weapon is basically a lil' monster that can fight by themselves… you've met one, although they're an independent weapon mainly. Jacqueline's an example of an independent weapon. The Thompson Sisters would be classified as both a meister and weapon, but sadly they chose to remain as a weapon alone…" she sighed. "It's rare to find someone who's both…"

Kim, who arrived a few moments ago while Tsugumi and Rena were deep in discussion simply looked confused, Tsugumi's expression instantly turning to a look of shock at noticing her senpai.

"…what's the difference?" Kim had asked, popping up, giving a look of disbelief. "Weapons are weapons because they can change into weapons."

Rena held her tea, "…don't you know…? Humans have weapons to fight against others," Rena took a sip, "what are Kishins? Humans who succumbed to becoming a monster are Kishins… what's the difference between both meister and weapon to that of a weapon…? Simple… the ones who are both, appears to have a meister soul, we can easily trick those with Soul Perception… that is exactly why Lord Death cannot fully trust monsters such as I…" she chuckled. "Asking what the difference between a meister and weapon to that of a weapon as a weapon is, would be like asking what's different about a kishin from a regular human…" Rena smiled a bit. "It's the soul that's different."

"Eh? But Maka's annoying dad said that souls only have a slight difference depending on their characteristics…" Kim blinked.

"No, no!" Rena protested. "Souls are _very_ different! I know that because back in my days at the academy, I studied deeply into the study of souls!" she said irritably, "it's like saying that Kishins and regular humans are the same, or that witches and Lord Death are the same," Rena twitched. "Although… it might just be rude… but I have to say… witches and Lord Death have annoying personalities…"

Kim frowned at the insult most likely, "how so?"

"They both decided who's horrible… Lord Death would probably say that witches are evil, but what about the witches? Would they admit that they're evil and destructive?" Rena questioned. "Or… would they say that DWMA was evil…? Yes, they're destructive… but what started this many years of war? Humans… but then again, this is from my point of view… as well as showing my partial hate towards other individuals…" she sighed. "I really hate people in general, it's kind of rare for me to take a liking to others…" she chuckled.

"…don't tell me you're a Little Fox supporter…" Kim grimaced.

"Oh don't get me started on that horrendous woman!" Rena hissed angrily. "I hate that witch with every fiber in my body! I swear…" she huffed. "I wish she was dead! She cursed me, she manipulated me, and she destroyed my Soul Studies Project for goodness sake!" Rena ranted irritably. "I wish she was dead, it'd be a wondrous event! If she was dead, there'd be a huge party!"

"Surprisingly enough, she's not on Lord Death's list of Kishins or witches, even if she has a witch's nickname, she's not actual a witch since Little Fox is a killed Witch," Kim murmured. "It's like… she popped up out of nowhere…"

"My team chased after the Fox Witch, she did die, of course, and one of my friends took her soul, but when my friend ate it, she was cursed by another witch."

"What was she cursed with?" Kim frowned.

"I'd rather not say… because even she herself isn't aware of being cursed… and honestly, three people were cursed, one of the curses killed a friend of mine, the girl that ate the soul… and the curse inflicted misfortune to her family. There were a lot of curses that were inflicted, and they can't be fixed. I really dislike the trouble that witch caused. I wouldn't be surprised if the girl claiming to be Little Fox was a witch… same with Cheshire! That damn Cat's a witch I tell you!" she fumed. "She must love causing trouble for everyone!"

"…Is the Cheshire Cat evil?" Tsugumi asked.

"…is there such a thing as being evil?" Rena frowned, narrowing her eyes. "I don't think there is. Try a bit… mischievous… yes… mischievous… that's a better word. There's no such thing as being evil. Regardless, you can't trust the words of a black cat."

"Alright then…" Tsugumi said uneasily.

"Is something the matter?" Rena asked, taking a sip of tea.

"…no… I'm just… afraid… I guess… everything's been confusing me… and I just… I'm worried…" she said quietly.

Kim glanced at Rena before the blonde spoke, "…then tell your partners."

"Huh?" Tsugumi blinked.

"Rena's right," Kim nodded. "Your partner and friends are important and precious… if you can't trust your partner or friends, then in the end you'll probably get into deep problems down the road."

"Also… you might be forced to pick a partner soon and after being forced into the decision due to the circumstances, you might realize just how much you should work with them… Tsugumi," Rena said. "Please… be very careful with your decisions… but remember… trusting in them would help. Also, tell your partner… Anya was it? Yes… I believe Anya was her name, tell her that I advise her that it's good to be truthful to oneself, but more useful to others to know her own thoughts… tell her that it'd be best if she was more honest to others… regardless of how embarrassing it can be…"

* * *

"And that's what she wanted me to tell you," I nodded.

"I-I see…" Anya murmured. She muttered something along the lines of 'commoner fortunes,' 'accuracy,' and 'it must be a joke'…

"…I was thinking deeply… and I wondered which one of you would want me, to… well, partner up with the most… it's true that we're all friends… but still… it's difficult to suddenly be told I would need to make a decision soon…"

"Actually… the urgency of the matter should be whether or not you need to make the decision soon," Anya said. "She said you would be forced… did she not? Meaning that there might be a moment in the later future where you don't get a choice to pick…"

"I guess…" I frowned, looking at both Meme and Anya. "So if I… if I was forced to choose between you two… can we promise that no matter what happens, we'll still be friends… and that nothing would tear us apart…?"

"Of course," Meme answered with a smile.

"I… I don't see why not…" Anya said confidently, although she looked hesitant for a moment.

They're both good people… but I feel horrible if they felt betrayed that I chose one over the other. I didn't really want to pick between them… they both became my best friends and I got along with them real well… but if I did have to pick only one… it might be Meme, since we get along really well…

* * *

"Ugh, what do you think _you're_ doing?" the woman asked the child-like figure. "Well? What on earth are you doing you dreadful Cat?"

A woman was wearing fancy clothes more suited for men; she had long blonde hair tied into a simple ponytail; she wore a black hat with red; she wore a black vest and a wine-colored dress shirt; she also wore a black tailcoat with lace cuffs; and she also wore black pants. Underneath her left ocean blue eye was a black moon and a black star.

As for the child, she was wearing a headband with cat ears with a veil attached, which covered her eyes though a hint of purple shown throw; she wore a black dress, as if about to head off to a funeral.

"Well, I suppose you could say I'm murdering time as well as I tell someone about the dreadful world around us, I scare her dreams usually, it's quite fun actually," she giggled, looking at the book she held in her hands. "Tell me, Hatter… do you truly believe in true evil? I think this girl is much too naïve that she actually might believe there is such a thing!"

"Of course not, you're mainly evil, but I suppose you have some evil bits of you," she laughed. "But alas, I never did like you Cheshire, so I can't say, but if this child is as you say, it must be nice to torment her!" she laughed.

"Heh… I never liked you either my darling friend… now, concerning this naïve child, perhaps I should show her how horrid this world is?" Cheshire smirked, though she knew she was bluffing.

* * *

**_If society assumed I was "evil" without giving me a chance…_**

**…then aren't you the "evil" one?**

_A smirk was shown, and laughter followed after__… but what I heard was screaming._

___What I saw were tears streaming down her cheek. I raised my fingers, touching her cheek as if to wipe away the tears. There wasn't any tears._

___My world was fading__… and I was disappearing__…_

There's really no way to reach me…  
There's really no way to reach me…  
Is there really no way to reach me…?  
Am I already gone…?

So this is your maverick…  
This is Vienna…

* * *

To Be Continued…

* * *

A/N

Yes. I did switch "you" to "society".  
Yes. I did include lyrics from Vienna by The Fray.  
Yes. I did include it at the very last minute just because I was listening to it.  
I have to admit, it fits Cheshire's personality…

Maverick means an independent thinker who refuses to conform (behave acceptably; follow standard; etc.) to the accepted views on a subject.

As for this is Vienna, well, I'm using someone's interpretation of this word, that being that it's a place of beauty. To find yourself, a place of being who it is you want to be. I think this line means the narrator's found himself, so to speak. So I see it as a "this is who I really am" that's being said to a person that thinks they know the person when they don't.

So the way I interpret the meaning of these lyrics to fit Cheshire's character would be…

Cheshire's a rebel and tries to change the thoughts that society has. Society views her as "unacceptable" so she rebels in a certain way which is pretty simple really. Society believes her to be evil, crazy, etc. and not many can understand her because she's not what she appears to be. Honestly, it's like society's saying that she's given up faith on them being able to reach her.

Going onto the subject of changing you to society in "**_If [You/Society] assumed I was "evil" without giving me a chance…_**"  
It's basically self-explanatory. People are part of society


End file.
